Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister expressed concerns that the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) could lead to cuts in aid to countries like his own, which are among the hardest hit by HIV/AIDS.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order for the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO following his inauguration on Monday.
Warning that the U.S. withdrawal could mean reductions in health aid to countries like Zimbabwe, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube stated: “Every country facing the challenge of HIV/AIDS will be affected.”
“This is a concern, a fear we are expressing,” Ncube said during an online briefing from the Swiss resort of Davos, where he is attending the World Economic Forum.
Zimbabwe receives over $200 million annually from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the U.S. government has provided Zimbabwe with over $1.7 billion since 2006 to strengthen health systems and support people living with HIV, according to the U.S. embassy in Harare.
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